G'day,
Of course to be really Aussie, it must be made from a branch of a gum tree!

I usually make mine fairly heavy so that it bounces better, actually takes less effort, less tiring to play 20 mins of the Virginia Reel.

The rubber stop is a good heavy duty door stop. My striker (bow?) is a small axe handle. Never counted the bottle tops, must be well over 200. The preparation can be lotsa fun. If you can scrape out the plastic insert in the bottle top. It was easier when they were cork.

Cheers,
Alan